Chapter 711: Chapter 1 First Visit to South Ridge, The Fief is in Rebellion (5500)_3
Even so, the increase in food prices was inevitable, and many restaurants in the city had already closed their doors. Only a few budget seafood places remained open, and even wealthy folks couldnât purchase the usual pastries, let alone candies.
"Sugar is also a workshop material, isnât it? Weâre in a state of war preparation now, with priority supply going to the military,"
the shop owner prattled on. "As long as we can kill a few more brats from Fiery Flame Land, not having sweets is no big deal."
Ian felt the situation wasnât so simple because the fog on the shop ownerâs body was light red.
But it might just be his personal bad luck, so Ian went out again, visiting several other pastries and bakeries that were still open. It proved that what the young owner of the first shop had said was indeed correct; almost all grains and sweets had gone up in price or were simply not available for purchase at all.
And these shop owners all had the normal grey-white aura of fortune.
"It seems I was right to ask Yisen Gard to prepare enough food for me."
Holding his baked cakes, Ian walked up to the watchtower of Breeze Bay, eating his pastries and enjoying the breeze while overlooking Nauman Cityâthe most important trade and industrial town to the north of the city.
His gaze lowered, contemplative. "The reduced grain harvest South Ridge didnât disrupt the order of the towns around the three-city trade route. Pastries are still for sale, albeit at a higher price. But the fact they are for sale means there are still customers. The residents might complain at most, but they donât panic, not fearing starvation."
"But it might not be the same elsewhere."
"The Agate Stone Plains, a grain-producing area, will first bring misery not to the Imperial People but to the Mountain People."
"The Mountain Peopleâs Autonomous Region to the west and the Empireâs colonies canât immediately stop the spread of the biowarfare plague. Their reduced grain harvest will definitely be more severe than around Nauman City, which is the main target of Fiery Flame Landâs attack."
Leyan Territory is among them, naturally.
At that moment, a sea breeze hit him head-on, the cool autumn air mingled with the scent of the sea caressing his face like a thin veil.
It carried along falling leaves, and Ian reached out, plucking one from the wind.
"The pestilence continues. It seems Fiery Flame Land is still active."
With a flash of silver in his eyes, Ian thoughtfully released the bug-eaten leaf back into the wind. "The situation in South Ridge is more severe than what Iâve heard in the Imperial Capitalâand the common folk are even cut off from the news, unaware of this."
He turned his head to look towards Nauman City, where the dense arrangement of rooftops and a forest of chimneys made up a jungle of buildings. The workshops there were also fully operational, spewing out large volumes of white steam or alchemical dust. The huge alchemy towers in the city even faintly echoed with sounds like tolling bells.
That place is the only legal site to produce Armor Suits in Nauman City.
Even that facility running at full capacity proves that the so-called âtotal warâ is on the horizon, as well as the dire situation in South Ridge.
Two baked cakes were clearly not enough to satisfy Ianâs appetite. Although he appeared slim, he had a hearty appetite.
The new shop ownerâs skills were even better than his fatherâs, having added some fragrance-enhancing spices to the meat filling. The taste lingered pleasantly in the mouth, justifying the higher price.
So he returned to the pastry shop, intending to buy two more for snacking on the road in Nauman City.
He planned to inquire about the ownerâs situation as well, to help him avoid any potential misfortune that might befall him soon.
Good skills indeed merit preferential treatment.
But as Ian approached the street where the pastry shop was located, he saw two fully armed guards stationed at the entrance while two knights clad in sturdy armors were inquiring inside the shop.
"Please stop... sir,"
the knight guarding the entrance noticed Ianâs approach. Seeing Ianâs alchemist robe and the silver âElite Alchemistâ badge on his chest, he immediately bowed his head and said in a less harsh tone, "We are conducting an important investigation here, please step aside."
Ian heard a stern interrogation coming from inside the store, "Are you sure youâve told the whole truth?!" "Please be aware, sir, if you donât tell the truth, thatâs treason!"
"Treason?"
He raised an eyebrow, Ian looked at the guard knight who seemed eager to continue to drive him away. He took out the badge of the Knight Order of Inspectorate from his bosom, and the Water Element Origin in his hand made the air around them moist.
The young man spoke indifferently, "Tell me the situation, knight."
"This..."
The gatekeeping knight was startled. As a civil servant, he clearly had not done his homework, failing to recognize the badge of an Inspector Knight immediately but feeling it was familiar, the kind that one should not offend.
Furthermore, such a young Alchemist and Sublimator...
He exchanged glances with another gatekeeping companion, then stood upright, "I must report to the commander."
The knight went inside the store. Soon, a squad leader with more complex armor and leg power structures appeared before Ian.
Just one glance at the badge Ian held, the squad leader immediately stood straight and saluted, "Reporting to the commander, Nauman City guard force, squad leader Piman, am leading the team in pursuit and identification of Fiery Flame Land agents!"
"Report to me," Ian said lightly, noting the shopkeeper watching him with an unsettled expression, "Why is he under suspicion?"
"Reporting to the commander," Piman, the squad leader, wasnât surprised by the presence of an Inspector Knight, as their top boss, Marquis Barton, was a high-ranking member of the Knight Order of Inspectorate. He spoke fluently, "A week ago, the Mountain Peopleâs Autonomous Region around the Bison Mountain Range experienced a large-scale rebellion. We discovered that agents from Fiery Flame Land have developed traitors within our ranks, providing weapons and food to the Mountain People through our internal channels."
"This shopkeeperâs raw material channels have some overlap with the channels of the internal traitors. We canât overlook any clues!"
Nonsense. Ian thought to himself, how many sources could there be for ample and high-quality food supplies at this time? If it didnât overlap, it would have been truly miraculous if the shopkeeperâs situation didnât warrant an investigation.
Moreover, a rebellion of the Mountain People? Which Mountain People are rebelling?
The Elder Mantle and others have been collaborating with The Empire lately, havenât they? Marquis Barton is their partner.
However, indeed they canât represent all the Mountain People.
"No wonder I havenât received a response from the Dragon Worship Cult in the past two weeks. It turns out there was a fire in the backyard, and even the situation was quite serious."
Ian realized suddenly, already having some guesses.
But he continued to instruct the knights, "Elaborate on the rebellion of the Mountain People. What is the extent of the impact, and what are the consequences?"
"Reporting to the commander," Piman noticed that this Inspector Knight probably had just returned to South Ridge not long ago and that questioning the shopkeeper wasnât a priority task, so he simply continued to report, "The Mountain Peopleâs rebellion is very complex and has affected a wide area. Mordor, Odor Colony have already fallen, the Frodo Autonomous Region is resisting in support of The Empire, and the Southern Sea Navy is on its way to provide support."
"The Midra Autonomous Region and the surrounding nobilityâs territories have already plunged into war; however, the conflict is currently limited within the Bison Mountain Range. The Agate Stone Plains are under patrol by the Marquisâs Knight Order and have not been affected."
"And the Leyan Territory?" Ian nodded slightly, getting to the core, "Whatâs the situation? I remember that area is also under the management of Hillsman Knights; it hasnât been affected by the rebellion, has it?"
Piman considered it for a moment and nodded, "Yes, commander, the Former Leyan Territory is now out of contact."
ââHa, I knew it.
Sighing inwardly, Ian shook his head.
He knew things werenât going that smoothly.